Up to Bat

Bible Reading: Romans 12:4-8

Jonah sighed as Eli swung the bat, sending the ball flying over the fence. “Home run!” Eli shouted, running around the backyard and stepping on imaginary bases along the way. The two boys had been practicing their hitting skills.

Why is Eli always so lucky? Jonah wondered. All afternoon he got good hits and I just got pop flies for him to catch. Maybe I’m just not any good at baseball. Jonah glared at Eli. “Go get the ball yourself this time,” he grumbled. He tossed his glove onto the ground and sat down at the picnic table.

Eli went after the ball, then ran over to Jonah, baseball in hand. “Don’t you want to practice hitting anymore?”

Jonah wiped sweat from his forehead. “Nah.”

“Oh, okay.” Eli sat down next to Jonah.

Both boys fanned themselves with their hats. “It’s hot. I’ll see if Mom has some lemonade for us,” said Jonah, getting up from the table.

“Rough time out there?” Mom asked as Jonah opened the patio door.

Jonah shrugged. “Just not my day, I guess. I haven’t had a single good hit.”

Mom poured two glasses of lemonade. “Well, baseball is a team sport.”

“I know,” Jonah said. “So?”

“So maybe hitting isn’t your biggest strength,” Mom said. “But you’re a very good pitcher.” She handed him the glasses. “Everybody has different strengths. We can’t all be great hitters, but we do our best with the position we do play. It’s like that with the body of Christ too—the church. I was just reading a passage in the Bible about that. It pointed out that every Christian has a different calling. We need to use the talents God has given us, not those He gave someone else. We need to work as a team so we can show the world the love of Jesus together.”

Jonah grinned. “You’re right, Mom. Thanks.” He took a long drink of lemonade, then went out to the picnic table and handed Eli a glass. When their glasses were empty, Jonah picked up his glove. “You ready?”

Eli looked surprised. “I thought you didn’t want to play anymore.”

Jonah shrugged. “I changed my mind.”

“Okay,” Eli said, picking up the bat. “You want to hit first?”

“Nah,” Jonah replied. “I’ll just practice my pitch.” -Rebecca J. Gomez

How About You?

Have you felt like you just weren’t good enough at something? Maybe you’ve seen someone else excelling in sports, music, or some other activity, and you wished you could be like that person. Don’t waste time comparing your talents with those of anyone else. Instead, focus on the gifts God has given you. Use them as part of God’s team of believers to point others to Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Use the talents God gave you